Paper towel dispensing apparatus



May 24, 1938. I F. G. STEINER I 2,

PAPER TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 26, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I[rm/en 07f EPA/w GJTE/NER ATTOENEY:

y 1938. F. G. STEINER 2,118,627

PAPER TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 26, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 220 I 20 /3o 3 v I zz 22 23 25 23 -May 24, 1938. STEINEYR 2,118,627

PAPER TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 26, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3[kl/67112407 fi'cwA/K G. STE/NEE ATTOENE VJ May 24, 1938. F. G. STEINERPAPER TOWEL: DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 26, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4jnvemfo FeAA/K 6572/5/52 ATTOB E Y5 Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Frank G. Steiner, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Steiner SalesCompany, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Utah Application April26,

' 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism for dispensing paper towels of theinter-folded type wherein the pulling out of one towel pulls the end ofthe next towel into an accessible position.

The invention includes features, some of which are applicable for thedispensing of other kinds or types of paper toweling.

The preferred embodiment of the invention shown herein includes meansfor preventing quick successive operations of the feeding mechanism,thus making it necessary for the user to wait for some predeterminedtime period before he can obtain a second towel. By this means, thenumber of towels used is substantially reduced and great economic gainis made.

Features of the invention include: the downfeed and delivery of thetowels for access from the bottom of the cabinet: the incorporation offriction-reducing means in the towel supply support; the arrangement ofthe feed-roll-separating and stop mechanism; and. the details ofconstruction of the same and the broader ideas of means inherent in thedisclosure.

Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description of the drawings forming a part of this application, andin said drawings: a

Figure 1 is a front sectional elevation viewing the mechanism as whenthe door is removed and with the timer and stop mechanism positioned asin Figure 5;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the 35 mechanism positionedas after a feeding operation, and with a towel so positioned as to beaccessible to the user, and with the timer and stop mechanism positionedas in Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 40 4-4 of Figure 1,showing the timer stop mechanism positioned as immediately after toweldelivery and withdrawal;

Figure 5 shows in full lines the timing and stop mechanism positioned asat the end of the 45 timing period, and shows, in dot-and-dash lines,the position of the stop arm and timer control link as during thefeeding operation;

Figure 6 is a plan section on line 6-6 of Figure l, with the partspositioned as in Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a vertical section on .line 'l-'l of Figure 6 showing themeans acting promptly after feeding to prevent reverse motion of thefeeding means; and

Figure 8 is a section similar to Figure 7 but 55 showing the stop armandits pawl positioned as 1935, Serial No. 18,397

just before the pawl assumes the position of Figure '7;

The drawings show the, at present, preferred embodiment of theinvention, but the invention is not entirely limited to the detailsshown.

In the drawings, numeral I indicates the casing or cabinet which has adoor 2 hinged at its bottom, as at 3, to the bottom of the casing. Asuitable lock is shown at 4. Within the cabinet are arranged two platesrespectively indicated 10 Ill-4i, said plates being spaced from the endwalls of the cabinet and being suitably secured as at I2--i3 to thewalls of the cabinet. The back wall I4 has inverted keyhole slots I5adapted. to be engaged with hooks on the wall to sup- 15 port thecabinet.

The towel supply chamber is defined by the plates Ill-i I, the rear wallIt, the door 2 and a pair of plates, see Figures 2 and 6, the members ofwhich are respectively generally indicated at l8-l9. These plates formthe bottomof the towel supply chamber, and the pile of towels issupported upon them. Each plate has a flat portion 20 provided with aplurality of transverse, spaced, relatively narrow, upwardly bulgingportions ii. The plate is bent downwardly as at 22, then upwardly curvedas at 23 and then is bent to provide a horizontal portion 24, spacedbelow the portion 23. The plate is then bent upon itself to provide asmooth rounded portion 25, is then arched outwardly as at 26, and endsin a relatively flat, inwardly directed portion 21, the lowerlongitudinal edge of which is slightly spaced from the periphery of oneof the feed rolls. These plates have down-turned flanges which are 5suitably secured to the plates Ill and H by means generally indicated at3|].

The plates l8 and I9 are substantially identical in figuration but arearranged as rights and lefts, with their portions 25 and 2'! spaced toprovide a downwardly leading throat delivering to the feed rolls. Thebottom-most sheets of the supply of paper rest on the apices of theelements 2| and 23, and have, so to speak, a bridging relation withthese elements. Inasmuch as there are only line contacts between theelements 2| and 23 and the paper, withdrawal friction is reduced to theminimum. For clearness, the lowermost sheets have been difierentiated bymaking one solid black, defining others by two lines only, and others bytwo lines, plus stippling.

The rounded portions 25 are spaced from one another at each side of avertical mid-line passing between the rolls, andthe rolls are respecmaindicated at 1 I42. Referring to Figure 1: Roll ll has a shaft a whichis iournaled in and passes laterally beyond the side plates l and ll.

One end of this shaft extends through the outer wall. of the casing andhas attached thereto a suitable operating crank II. The roll 32 has ashaft 85 which is journaied in horizontal slots 81 of the plates II andi I. By this arrangement, the roll 32 can move toward and away from theroll II, that is to feeding and non-feeding positions. Normally, thebottom-most portion 40 of the sheet lies between the spaced mils asshown in Figure 2 so that when the rolls are brought together androtated, this portion ll is brought to the accessible position shown inFigure 3 while a corresponding portion ll of the next sheet is arms, arm4 for example, is also a feature of this invention. The mechanismincludes a small stop arm OI, see Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, having pivotedthereto as at II, a link 02 slotted as at ll. Through the slot slidablypasses a pin or projection ll of a connection II. This connection isslidably held at its upper and lower portions in brackets respectivelyindicated "41. The connection has a laterally bent portion II providingclearance for the arm ll only at the end of a timing operation, seeFigure 5, and said connection at its upper end has spaced lateralextensions II engaged with a head 12 of a piston stem I3 of a pistontimer l4. The inner construction of this timer is not shown. It will beunderstood, however, that when the piston is pushed to the posibroughtto the position shown in Figure 3 in a tion shown in Figure 4, itautomatically travels position to be fed by a subsequent operation ofthe feed rolls. It is, of course, understood that as one sheet is fedoutwardly, another sheet is drawn to feeding position.

Below the rolls is a throat into and through .which the fed towel isdelivered. This throat is formed by a pair of spaced plates 18 leadingto an opening I! in the bottom wall of the casing. A feature of theinvention is the downward delivery of the sheets to a point outside ofand below the cabinet for access by the user. The throat-forming platesare held by suitable fastening means to the plates II and II and, ofcourse, extend from one plate to the other.

An important feature of the invention is the construction of thecombined stop and feed roll control mechanism now to be described.Referring first to Figures 6, '7 and 8: The shaft 33 is provided atopposite ends with arms respectively designated 0 and 44 adapted toengage the shaft 80 of the roll I! and'move it in the slots away fromthe friction surface 4! of the roll II, and to temporarily releasablylock the roll ll against further motion, as well as to hold the roll 32in non-feeding position. Each arm 43 and 44, therefore, has in itsperiphery a depression or notch ll, see Figure 8, adapted to receive theshaft 35, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7. The shaft 85 is urgedtoward the roll II by means of springs, one at each end of the shaft,and attached as at to the plates ll and II. One arm of each springengages a stop ll, and the other arm passes through an opening in a clip50 circumscribing the shaft 85. The spring, of course, is coiled, asshown in Figure 6, at Ii and tends to press the shaft 35 toward the rollii. The clip 50 is slotted as at 52, so that the arms 43 and 44 candirectly engage the ends of shaft ll.

Referring to Figure '1: In order to prevent reverse rotation of therolls at the end of each feeding operation, a pawl 55 is provided and isarranged as shown in Figures 7 and 8, and pivoted at 55 to the plate II.In Figure 7, the pawl is positioned to prevent rotation of the arm 43 ina direction opposite to that of the arrow. In Figure 8, the pawl isbeing pushed by the arm to a position from which it will swing to theposition of Figure 7. Figure 7 shows the separated nonfeeding positionof the rolls, and Figure 8 shows the rolls in feeding position but justabout to be moved from feeding position as the arm 43 swings to bringits notch in releasably locked engagement with the shaft 36. Each arm 44has a cam surface II which leads to the depression or notch 45 andgradually pushes the shaft It outwardly to its non-feeding position.

The arrangement of a stop arm, now to be described, on the shaft II,adjacent one of the downwardly at a regulated rate to the position shownin Figure 5, thus performing the timing operation. There is no intentionto be limited to the kind of timer.

when the parts are positioned as in Figure 4, the stop arm I! is sorelated to the vertical portion ll of the link that the shaft 38 cannotbe turned in the direction of the arrow because the stop arm immediatelyengages the part II. At the end of the timing period, the off-setportion 10 of the connection is brought into opposition to the part sothat the latter is free to make a complete revolution incounterclockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 5, again tothat position thus permitting a feeding operation, which is accomplishedherein by a single rotation of the shaft 33. During this operation, theroll 32 moves to feeding position, is operated for feeding and is movedagain to its spaced nonfeeding position.

rat on Assume the parts of the machine to be positioned as shown inFigures 2 and 5. On rotation of the shaft by means of the crank 35 incounterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 5, thearm 5. is movedand the link 5! is drawn upwardly correspondingly moving the connectionll upwardly. The full upward movement of the connection to set the timeris made at about the end of a half revolution of the shaft 33, that iswhen the parts assume the dot-and-dash line position shown in Figure 5.On completion of the feeding rotation of the shaft to-the position shownin Figure 4, the link assumes the position shown in that figure and thetimer is thus free to act and move downwardly merely swinging the linkin clockwise direction. with the parts positioned as in Figure 4, theshaft cannot be turned because of the relation of the stop 50 to thepart II of the connection 55. At the end of the timing period, however,as shown in Figure 5, the stop arm is free to rotate because the ofi-setportion II is opposed to it. On slight initial movement of the shaft afrom the position in Figure 5, the arms l3, 44 move to release the roll32, which immediately moves to feeding position so that feeding occurswhile the shaft 33 continues its motion. It will, of course, beunderstood that each time a towel is moved to position for access by theuser, it pulls the end of the next towel between the rolls in positionto be fed at the next operation of the machine.

There is no intention to be entirely limited to the use of anyparticular number of feed rolls, nor'indeed to the use of rolls at all,because other modes of feeding might be employed. I believe myself thefirst to separately and successively deliver ready-cut sheets of papertoweling from a stack, bundle, pile or assembly, in combination withmeans for delaying delivery of a second towel for a predetermined timeinterval, by the use of a timer.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mechanism for dispensing paper towels o the inter-folded typeincluding first and second feed rolls and shafts therefor, between whichrolls the end of the bottom-most sheet of a pile of inter-folded towelsnormally lies and between which the end of the following towel is pulledwhen the forward towel is withdrawn, means yieldably holding the secondroll against the first, a pair of arms one on each end of the shaft ofthe first roll and engageable with the shaft of the second roll to movethe second roll away from the first and releasably hold it in nonfeedingposition, a. stop mechanism including a stop arm also carried by theshaft of the first roll, said stop arm and pair of holding arms being sorelated that the holding arms assume holding position by the time thestop arm reaches stop position.

2. A mechanism for dispensing towels having feeding means including aroll, a stop mechanism controlling and controlled by the roll, includinga stop arm controlled by the roll, timer means, which is set andthereafter automatically performs its timing function, a settingconnection out of which said stop arm can move at the end 1 of thetiming operation, to again permit operation of the roll.

3. A mechanism for dispensing paper inciuding a measuring roll, and apinch roll therefor, Journaled to be moved away from the measuring rollto release the paper for withdrawal, means yieldably holding the pinchroll against the measuring roll, a stop mechanism controlled by andcontrolling the measuring roll including a stop arm on the measuringroll, and means also on the measuring roll for moving the pinch rollaway from the measuring roll and for releasably holding the same,including arms which engage the journallng elements of said pinch roll,said arms being so angularly related to the stop arm as to cause thepinch roll to be moved away from the measuring roll as the stop armapproaches stop position and to be so held while the stop arm remains atstop position.

FRANK G. STEINER.

